Sandia
is
joining
forces
with
Stirling
Energy
Systems,
Inc.
(SES)
of
Phoenix
to
test
six
new
solar
dish-engine
systems
for
electricity
generation
that
will
provide
enough
grid-ready
electricity
to
power
more
than
40
homes.

Five
new
systems
will
be
installed
between
now
and
January
at
Sandia’s
National
Solar
Thermal
Test
Facility.
They
will
join
a
prototype
dish-Stirling
system
erected
earlier
this
year,
making
a
six-dish
mini
power
plant
producing
150kW
of
grid-ready
electrical
power.

“This
will
be
the
largest
array
of
solar
dish-Stirling
systems
in
the
world,”
says
Chuck
Andraka
(6218),
the
Sandia
project
leader.
“Ultimately
SES
envisions
20,000
systems
to
be
placed
in
one
or
more
solar
dish
farms
and
providing
electricity
to
southwest
US
utility
companies.”

Sandia
and
SES
staff
will
work
together
over
the
next
couple
of
months
to
assemble
the
five
new
state-of-the-art
systems.

Each
unit,
which
consists
of
82
mirrors
formed
in
the
shape
of
a
dish,
will
be
nearly
identical
to
the
system
installed
earlier
this
year
with
some
modifications
to
improve
the
design.
The
frame
is
steel
made
by
Schuff
Steel,
also
of
Phoenix,
while
the
mirrors,
provided
by
Paneltec
of
Lafayette,
Colo.,
are
laminated
onto
a
honeycomb
aluminum
structure
invented
and
patented
in
the
late
1990s
by
Sandia
researcher
Rich
Diver
(6218).
The
engine
will
be
assembled
at
Sandia’s
test
facility
using
parts
that
were
contracted
out
by
SES.

Once
the
units
are
installed,
Sandia
and
SES
researchers
will
experiment
with
the
systems
to
determine
how
best
they
can
be
integrated
in
a
field,
as
well
as
improving
reliability
and
performance.

“It’s
one
thing
to
have
one
system
that
we
can
operate
but
a
whole
other
thing
to
have
six
that
must
work
in
unison,”
Chuck
says.

Each
unit
operates
automatically.
Without
operator
intervention
or
even
on-site
presence,
it
starts
up
each
morning
at
dawn,
operates
throughout
the
day,
responding
to
clouds
and
wind
as
needed.
Finally
it
shuts
itself
down
at
sunset.
The
system
can
be
monitored
and
controlled
over
the
Internet.
Researchers
want
to
make
the
six
systems
work
together
with
the
same
level
of
automation.
The
controls
and
software
that
perform
this
integration
will
be
scalable
to
much
larger
facilities.

The
solar
dish
generates
electricity
by
focusing
the
sun’s
rays
onto
a
receiver,
which
transmits
the
heat
energy
to
an
engine.
The
engine
is
a
sealed
system
filled
with
hydrogen,
and
as
the
gas
heats
and
cools,
its
pressure
rises
and
falls.
The
change
in
pressure
drives
the
pistons
inside
the
engine,
producing
mechanical
power.
The
mechanical
power
in
turn
drives
a
generator
and
makes
electricity.

The
cost
for
each
prototype
unit
is
about
$150,000.
Once
in
production
SES
estimates
that
the
cost
could
be
reduced
to
less
than
$50,000
each,
which
would
make
the
cost
of
electricity
competitive
with
conventional
fuel
technologies.

Bob
Liden,
SES
executive
vice
president
and
general
manager,
says
solar
electric
generation
dish
arrays
are
an
option
for
power
in
parts
of
the
country
that
are
sunny
like
New
Mexico,
Arizona,
California,
and
Nevada.
They
could
be
linked
together
to
provide
utility-scale
power.
A
solar
dish
farm
covering
11
square
miles
could
produce
as
much
electricity
per
year
as
Hoover
Dam,
and
a
farm
100
miles
by
100
miles
in
the
southwestern
US
could
provide
as
much
energy
as
is
needed
to
power
the
entire
country.

“Another
application
could
be
to
operate
as
stand-alone
units
in
remote
areas
off
the
grid,
such
as
the
Navajo
reservation,
and
supply
power
to
one
or
several
homes,”
Liden
says.
Stand-alone
units
have
already
been
demonstrated
as
an
effective
means
of
pumping
water
in
rural
areas.
He
notes
the
dish-Stirling
system
works
at
higher
efficiencies
than
any
other
current
solar
technologies,
with
a
net
solar-to-electric
conversion
efficiency
reaching
30
percent.
Each
unit
can
produce
up
to
25
kilowatts
of
power.

“This
is
the
perfect
type
of
electricity
generation
for
the
Southwest,”
Liden
says.
“It’s
a
renewable
resource,
pollution
free,
and
the
maintenance
of
a
solar
farm
is
minimal.”

One
of
the
system’s
advantages
is
that
it
is
“somewhat
modular,”
and
size
of
the
facility
can
be
ramped
up
over
a
period
of
time,
Chuck
says.
That
is
compared
to
a
traditional
power
plant
or
other
large-scale
solar
technologies
that
have
to
be
completely
built
before
they
are
operational.

The
cooperation
between
SES
and
Sandia
is
seen
as
critical
to
the
success
of
this
technology.
This
on-site
teaming
is
a
new
way
of
doing
business
in
the
energy
field
and
is
being
watched
with
interest
at
DOE
headquarters.
Chuck
says,
“There
is
no
more
effective
way
of
providing
technology
transfer.”

Of
the
aggressive
schedule
SES
is
pursuing
in
moving
from
this
prototype
power
plant
to
large-scale
production,
Chuck
says,
“It’s
a
big
step
to
go
from
one
to
six
dishes
and
ramp
them
up
the
way
they
want.
But
we
have
such
a
good
relationship
with
SES,
and
we
work
together
so
well
that
we
should
be
able
to
meet
this
challenge.”
--
Chris
Burroughs

Responding
to
a
wide
spectrum
of
national
issues
is
a
major
strength
of
Sandia,
said
John
Marburger,
science
advisor
to
President
Bush
and
director
of
Office
of
Science
and
Technology
Policy,
during
a
recent
visit
to
Sandia.

“Sandia
is
a
broad-spectrum
lab,”
Marburger
said
after
receiving
a
comprehensive
tour
and
overview
of
Sandia.
“Sandia’s
responsiveness
to
the
nation
is
outstanding.”

He
said
he
was
impressed
with
the
quality
and
enthusiasm
of
the
employees
at
Sandia
and
commended
the
mission
and
goals
of
the
Laboratories.

Marburger
said
Sandia’s
work
is
a
perfect
fit
for
the
three
areas
set
forth
by
the
current
administration.
The
areas
include
winning
the
war
on
terrorism,
protecting
the
homeland,
and
contributing
to
economic
stability.
He
said
he
realizes
that
science
plays
a
major
role
in
contributing
to
these
areas.

Marburger
toured
the
Microelectronics
Development
Laboratory,
Integrated
Materials
Research
Lab,
and
the
Z
machine.
Hosted
by
VP
for
Science
&
Technology
and
Partnerships
1000
Pace
VanDevender,
Marburger
was
briefed
on
the
progress
of
the
Microsystems
and
Engineering
Sciences
Applications
(MESA)
project,
the
Biotechnology
Program,
and
Global
Nuclear
Futures.

Marburger
said
making
things
smaller
and
faster
is
key
in
meeting
the
challenges
of
the
new
century

“The
smaller
the
scale,
the
more
robust
technology
can
be,”
he
said.
“The
use
of
information
and
image
technology
all
lead
to
useful
products.”
He
said
Sandia’s
MESA
project
will
play
an
important
role
in
the
area
of
nanotechnology.

Nanoscale
structures,
he
said,
will
lead
to
opportunities
for
new
devices
as
small
as
molecules,
and
machines
as
small
as
human
cells.

Work
in
the
area
of
biotechnology
helps
pave
the
way
toward
better
diagnostics,
therapies,
treatments,
and
possible
cures
that
affect
the
lives
of
all
Americans,
he
said.

Moving
new
technology
from
the
lab
to
products
is
a
difficult
task,
he
said,
adding
that
certain
technologies
can
transfer
more
rapidly
than
others.

“The
key
to
successful
technology
transfer
is
to
encourage
flexibility
within
the
process,”
he
said.
“We
need
to
make
sure
the
transformation
is
safe
and
feasible,
but
we
need
to
do
this
quickly.”

Prior
to
his
appointment
to
the
Executive
Office
of
the
President,
he
served
as
director
of
Brookhaven
National
Laboratory
from
1998,
and
as
the
third
president
of
the
State
University
of
New
York
at
Stony
Brook
from
1980-1994.

“Sandia
is
well-run
and
has
a
strong
vision
and
a
good
vision,”
he
said.
“I
am
leaving
with
a
very
favorable
impression
of
the
Labs.”